The senate has rescinded a clause in its standing orders that requires senators-elect to choose presiding officers before taking their oath of office.
The motion for rescission and recommittal was sponsored by Opeyemi Bamidele, the senate leader.
The senate said the provision introduced under orders 2(2) and 3(1) of the amended standing orders could create “constitutional inconsistencies and unintended tensions” with section 52 of the 1999 constitution.
The red chamber said the decision became necessary to ensure that its rules remain consistent with constitutional provisions, parliamentary conventions, and legislative practice.
The rescinded clause had altered the long-standing parliamentary procedure by requiring newly elected senators in the 11th senate to elect a senate president before being sworn in.
The rescinded provision was part of the amendments introduced to regulate the first sitting of a new senate and participation of senators-elect in proceedings.
Under the amended order 2(2), the clerk to the national assembly was required to administer the oath of allegiance and oath of membership on senators-elect after roll call and confirmation of writs of election.
Order 3(1) further provided that a senator-elect “shall not participate in any proceedings of the Senate, including voting for the election of the President and Deputy President of the Senate, unless and until he has taken the Oaths”.
The amendments effectively made oath-taking a mandatory condition before senators-elect could participate in the election of presiding officers.
With the reversal, the senate returned to the previous parliamentary procedure where senators-elect can elect presiding officers before taking their oath of office.
Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo north, reacted to the reversal during plenary.
“This shows that when there are amendments, the next time, we should allow debate. That’s it,” Oshiomhole said after raising a point of order.
Oshiomhole had clashed with Godswill Akpabio over the amendments on Wednesday.
Responding, Bamidele accused the Edo north senator of causing “unnecessary drama” on the floor of the senate.
“We are not going to allow this to continue,” the senate leader said.
Bamidele cited order 52(6) of the senate standing rules.
“Order 52 (6) of the senate. It simply says, Mr. President, that it shall be out of order to attempt to reconsider any specific question upon which the Senate has come to the conclusion during the current session, except upon a substantive motion for decision,” he said.
“So, if His Excellency Distinguished Senator Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, CON, had any problem with the decisions that were taken with respect to the amendment two days ago, what he was expected to do was to bring the substantive motion for the session to be debated on the floor of this parliament.
“We cannot allow this kind of drama to go on every time on the floor of this senate we must put a stop to it.”
BACKGROUND
On Tuesday, the senate amended its standing rules to restrict eligibility for presiding and principal offices to senators who have served at least two consecutive terms immediately preceding nomination.
The revised rules stipulated that only senators in the current 10th senate who secure re-election into the 11th senate in 2027 would be eligible to contest for the positions of senate president and deputy senate president.
The amendment followed a closed-door session that lasted about three hours.
The decision sparked speculation that the move was aimed at blocking the return of former senators such as Hope Uzodimma, Ifeanyi Okowa and Ovie Omo-Agege from contesting for the senate presidency in 2027.
Order 5 also introduced an additional requirement that senators seeking principal offices must have served at least two consecutive terms immediately preceding nomination.
Before the amendment, any ranking senator — defined as one who had spent at least four years in the chamber — could contest for presiding offices.
Oshiomhole was the lone dissenting voice when the amendments were adopted by voice vote on Wednesday.
“This was not what we agreed at the closed-door session,” the former Edo governor said as Akpabio read the resolutions.
